Monthly Archives: February 2017

The kitchen is finally complete! The last two months have involved a lot of waiting on things to get in, but it is all done.

With the countertops installed I was able to go ahead with a layout scheme. The tiles are glass, of different heights and widths, and on a floppy mesh. Figuring out where and how to cut to make it around the outlets was tough.

Everything started and stopped at a metal quarter round boarder strip. After a few different tactics I figured out that measuring everything from the edges and countertop gave me the best results for cutting around outlets.

The gaps between each tile varied between 1/8″ and 1/16″. It made any errors on my part easier to hide, but keeping everything looking right meant I needed a variety of shims. When installing the tile I did my best to keep the gaps clean, but sometimes the mortar squeezed through. It is tough to clean without disturbing the wet tile too much. Instead I waited till it was cured and used a custom little tool to scrape it out. It is a thin putty knife ground down to make a small hook/dovetail shape. I was able to get into the gaps and clean out any stray mortar that even the smallest grout saw couldn’t get to.

With all the edges and gaps cleared out I could move on to grout. Backsplash grouting seems to be pretty similar to floor grouting. The grout is un-sanded on account of the narrow gaps, but otherwise you smear it on, let it sit for a bit, then wipe off. The high ratio of gaps to tiles means a lot ends up staying in place and getting wasted in the wiping.

Hazing is really noticeable on the glass tiles, so they took a few dozen extra rounds of wiping, but you really knew when you got it all. After months of work and waiting, and more money than I care to admit it is really good to have a gorgeous working kitchen. Time for a kitchen warming party!

My newly resurrected frankenstein is doing reasonably well. Months without a printer has left me a bit of a back log. Here are some of the things I was able to create now that I could print again.

Plugfones Clip

I use plugfones liberate when mowing. Basically rated sound isolation plus bluetooth tunes connected to my phone. The body is pretty light, but tugs at the ear buds a tiny bit every time you turn your head. I printed a clip that they slide into snugly, and that clips to my sweat band. Now when I turn my head, the body moves with me and the ear buds don’t get slowly tugged out. Thingiverse link to my design.

Contact Solution Bottle Pry

We both have contacts and often carry small travel size bottles of the contact lens solution around. Instead of buying a new tiny bottle every time we run out I just pry the top off and refill from the big bottles. They aren’t really designed for this, and the bottle tops are hard to get off. Enter a custom wedge/pry tool that is perfect for getting under the lid. Thingiverse

Battery Terminal Wrench

Marine deep cycle batteries use a 5/16″ stud and nut. I have a battery system around in case of hurricanes, and thought a dedicated wrench to include in the kit would be handy. It is small to fit inside the tight space, has a through hole so the post can pass through the wrench, and even comes with a small custom holding bracket for storage close by. Thingiverse

Propane Tank Valve Wrench

I get all my propane tanks through a gas cylinder exchange we have in the area. Sometimes the new tanks come with the valves screwed way too tight. This wrench gives you a lot of extra surface to grip with. Magnets in the back keep it stuck to the grill close by. Thingiverse

DnD Cultist

Many of my friends play DnD, but live far enough away that it is hard for me to join regularly. Add a busy schedule in and I never play with them. But, one GM had the great idea of me coming in as a one time special character. I got to be a twisted cultist in a Lovecraft style otherworldly dungeon crawl.

I found a model that was split in half from top to bottom. This kept me from using support but resulted in a big seam down the length. Lots of spraying with rustoleum sandable filler helped with all the printer layers, but didn’t fill the gap between the two halves completely. Next time I will use something else on that. Still, a bit of thick primer and paint made it turn out well.